Faith and Fury
by Brother-Sergeant Rafen
Summary: A Space Marine fleet emerges from the Warp into an alien galaxy, one containing its own Galactic Empire. WH40k-Starwars crossover..ish. My first story, please review.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A Brave New World

The Battle Barge _Axios_ sailed through the void, its crew working frantically to repair damage from its running battles against the forces of Chaos during the early melees in the debris-littered space around Cadia. Brother-Captain Lucian Westwynter, veteran of a thousand battles and a hundred crusades, captain of the Blood Guardians 3rd Company, fidgeted anxiously in his seat in the _Axios_' bridge. Blank-eyed servitors moved around him, restlessly moving to their next task. Westwynter did his best to ignore the hive of activity, trying and failing to look calm in the face of such a maelstrom of work. _Keep it together, Lucian. _He glanced briefly at the screen showing the situation on the planet beneath the _Axios_, then looked away as the light indicating a vox-message began blinking. Sighing, Lucian carefully pressed the button with his gauntlet-clad finger.

"Westwynter. What do you need?"

"Brother-Captain, this is Bondsman-Lieutenant Zacharias in engineering. Our repairs on the engines are complete. We now have full sublight capabilities, thank the Emperor. Requesting permission to commence repairs upon the warp engines, sir."

"Approved. The Emperor protects. Westwynter out."

Lucian returned his attention to his viewscreen, frowning as he noticed a small red blip on the auspex. He blinked, then applied the ritual bang to the screen. The blip remained on-screen, prompting him to blink again in surprise. Westwynter apprehensively glanced at the list of repairs yet to be completed and frowned. While the ship's main cannons and most ballistic batteries were online, _Axios_' lance batteries still required much work before they could function at a useful capacity. Currently, they were good for naught but smacking about shuttles and fighters, and Emperor-damned awful at even that pitiful task. Lucian pressed the vox button yet again.

"Westwynter to engineering. How soon can you get the warp engines running?"

"That depends, Brother-Captain. What are they going to be used for? As the way I see it, these engines are only good for firing out the torpedo tubes right now. We need at least a day before they can even send us half a kilometre, at least in one piece."

"Hypothetically speaking, how quickly can you make repairs before a hypothetical enemy ship that is an hour away from the system gets to us?"

"That bad? Well, sir, we need at least twelve hours."

"You have six. Westwynter out."

Lucian looked about the bridge once more, then activated the ship-wide vox system.

"Blessed be the Emperor's name, and all those that serve Him. This is Brother-Captain Westwynter. An enemy fleet has been detected inbound to the system. All hands to battle stations. Repeat, all hands to battle stations. Repairs to armament shall continue, but other than those crew deemed essential to repairs, all crew shall man their assigned battle stations. The Emperor protects. Westwynter out."

Westwynter stood up, leaving the Bondsman-Captain to his duties before walking to the turbolift. His blindingly white armour's silence contrasted with its bulk, concealing the fact that it weighed easily half a tonne. Lucian carefully depressed the button, and slightly nervously looked about as the lift creaked as he stepped in. Nonetheless, it withstood his weight, albeit barely. The turbolift slowly descended into the depths of the battle barge, shuddering occasionally but successfully depositing the captain at the chapel. Making a mental note to get the techmarines to look at the lift, Lucian reverently walked towards the altar.

"Emperor," he said while kneeling, "Give me strength for the coming battle. We shall fight in your name, and we shall fight honourably. _Ave Deus Imperator!_"

Westwynter made the sign of the Aquila, averting his eyes as he did so. While he rode the lift back up to the bridge, he thought about the coming battle. The _Axios_' main guns would probably finish the fight quickly, having been outfitted with an upgraded Nova Cannon by the Chapter's tech-priests just before it left for Cadia. The trick was avoiding the blast from a victim's warp core overloading, as the cannon's power was so much that the entire ship was more often than not utterly annihilated by the shell. Nonetheless, Lucian was confident. The enemy ships wouldn't be able to close with the _Axios_ and its escorts, not if it intended to survive. As well, he had a good six hours before the ships got within firing range, more if they halted to reorient themselves.

A massive explosion followed by the blaring of klaxons announced otherwise, prompting Lucian to curse mildly before uttering the benediction of the Emperor.

"Battle-Captain Westwynter! The enemy fleet has made an in-system jump towards us and has proceeded to engage! Emperor-damn them, they took out the _Dauntless_!"

Lucian swore again. So they were up against the Archenemy. Almost as if it sensed the gravity of the situation, the turbolift doors opened just as he replaced his helmet and muttered the proper litanies. Cutting a commanding figure, he quickly strode across the busy command bridge towards Bondsman-Captain Argus, the man at the helm. Argus snapped out a few commands as he stood, foreshadowing the firing of several forward batteries.

"Brother-Captain! The Traitor ships have destroyed our escorts! Our strike cruisers are fighting with all their worth, but they are hopelessly outclassed. Requesting permission to fire the Nova Cannon!"

"At close range? The resulting warp rift would—fire away Captain."

Westwynter respected the man's guts, if not his judgement. He was a ground forces commander first, and so had little knowledge of void combat. What little he did know, however, told him that there was no way that the _Axios_ could win this without using its dreaded main gun, no matter the consequences. Argus pressed a button on his vox, then uttered a command feared by all aboard.

"This is Argus. Fire main cannon."

The _Axios_ shuddered violently as it unleashed its rage, the fifty-metre shell streaking through the void as the Astartes ships frantically fired retrothrusters and retreated. A moment later, a new sun was born in the Cadia system, annihilating the Archenemy ships and rupturing their warp cores. The bridge crew's eyes grew wide in awe as they witnessed the glory of the Imperium, then grew yet again in fear as the warp ruptures from the enemy ships expanded rapidly.

"Start the warp engines! All hands brace for impact!" Lucian grimly held on as the ship's engines stuttered to life, silently praising the Emperor as he prayed for deliverance.

Just as the warp-wave reached its apex, the space around three Imperial warships within the Cadia system seemed to bend, then burst like a bubble, leaving only the void and a dying miniature sun.

Lucian gingerly opened his eyes as the Blood Guardians ships _Axios_, _Shield of Damocles_, and _Remembrance_ emerged from warp space, and the viewscreens revealed vastly alien stars.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Sorry I took so long to update…:$ The semester's almost over, so I had to rush several projects all at the same time. Plus, there's exams next week, so…don't hold your collective breaths waiting for chapter 3. Faith and Fury! Zerg Rush in the Emperor's name!**

Chapter 2: For the Emperor

Imperial Star Destroyer _Subjugator_

Chiss Space

Unknown Regions

"Sir! We have detected a hyperspace anomaly in-system! Sensors say it matches no known ships, be they Imperial or otherwise."

Captain Sydar Fel strode up to the display showing the feed from the probe. He did a double take, rubbing his glasses before looking again. What appeared to be a trio of floating cathedrals drifted through space, along with a small debris field from what looked to be a gigantic battle.

"Notify Sector Command. They're gonna want to see this…"

Battle Barge _Axios_

Unknown Space

Sirens blared and lights flashed as Brother-Captain Lucian Westwynter paced back and forth on the bridge, pushing away hapless servitors and badly placed wiring alike. Occasionally he glanced at his data slate, frowning as the casualty and damage reports flowed in. Lucian turned to Bondsman-Captain Argus, who as usual was waist-deep in reports and issues urgently requiring his attention.

"Argus! What is the barge's status?"

The _Axios_' captain's head snapped around, startling a servitor and causing Westwynter to stumble back in surprise.

"Well, Brother-Captain, to put it bluntly, not all the tech-priests of Corbulo can save this barge. Weapons are shot, comms are fried, shields are downed, and Emperor-knows-what happened to the Astronomican's beacon. As for the warp engines…let's just say we're not going anywhere in a hurry."

A moment passed before it sank into Lucian. His downcast look must have been visible through his helm as Argus chuckled before speaking again.

"Thankfully, sir, the _Axios_ has tech-priests not just from Corbulo but from Mars, who we managed to bribe aboard by allowing them to play with the Baal-Pattern Predators. The _Axios_ and its escorts should have auspex and inter-ship vox coming back online within a day."

Lucians smiled, then a look of rage came upon his face as he processed the rest of the sentence.

"You let those Throne-accursed Martians do WHAT?!"

ISD _Subjugator_

Chiss Space

Unknown Regions

"Admiral's shuttle incoming sir!

"Vader Battalion, 501st Legion! Present…ARMS!

Three hundred white-armoured boots thudded on the deck, followed by the sound of blaster rifles being presented. Captain Fel strode from the inspection dais towards the landing _Lambda_-Class shuttle. A moment later, the ramp slowly lowered from the craft, and a pair of elite black-armoured Stormtroopers took positions on either side. The silence inside the bay was deafening, being broken only by the sound of a pair of Imperial Navy dress boots going down the ramp.

A blue-skinned, red-eyed humanoid with jet-black hair strode off of the shuttle, returning Fel's salute before marching towards the bridge with spotless precision, followed by his bodyguards and the captain himself.

Battle Barge _Axios_

Unknown Space

Lucian blinked in surprise as he stared at his auspex screen. He fiddled with the zoom function on the screen, then turned in confusion.

"Tech-priest! Are you sure you fixed this correctly?"

The red-clad Martian looked offended, as if Lucian's doubting him would somehow bring the Omnissiah down upon their heads. Westwynter couldn't care less about the _Cult Mechanicus_ right now, as he was more preoccupied by the giant floating wedges that had appeared about a light-hour away from his ships. Sighing, Lucian turned back to his screen before frowning as he attempted to view an interior view of the vessels.

"Tech-priest! Why can't I see inside the ships?"

The priest looked exasperated as he explained, speaking as if Lucian were an infant—which, in the field of mechanics, he was.

"The ships have some form of energy shielding and an advanced machine-spirit that seems to be blocking our auspex scans from penetrating the hulls. We can detect energy spikes and such, but as for the interior and specifications of the vessels, we cannot be sure."

Lucian silently cursed in frustration before opening his vox channel. Thinking it through, he closed it and turned to the immensely irritated tech-priest. _You think you're mad? Welcome to the club._

"How soon can we get long-ranged vox up? I want to be able to talk to our new…companions."

ISD _Subjugator_

Chiss Space

Unknown Regions

"Captain Fel. I want sensor readings on those ships. Now."

"Yes sir!" Fel scrambled to bring the readings up on his display, the image refreshing every minute or so as the scans slowly built up an accurate image of the unknown craft. His eyes widened as he looked at the ships' possible capabilities, shuddering as he thought what those, those, _things_ could do to his beloved _Subjugator_.

The admiral in turn leaned over his shoulder, his sudden intake of breath indicative of even his surprise and horror. Moving closer, the admiral played around with the sensor readings until he rested upon the possible weapons specs. Even at the bare minimum, the large ship had firepower equivalent to half of the sub-sector's destroyers.

Fel turned his head around to look the admiral in his unblinking red eyes.

"Admiral Mith'raw'nurodo...What do we do?"

The admiral smiled as he replied, chilling Fel to the bone.

"Please. Call me Thrawn."


	3. Chapter 3: The Shadow in the Warp

**Chapter 3: The Shadow in the Warp**

Blood Guardians Fortress-Monastery

Gnaeus City, Corbulo

Ignoring the slight pain in his left leg, Chapter Master Andrew Aurelius stalked along the walls of the fortress that was the home of the Blood Guardians chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. His injury, the result of a glancing hit from a Tau plasma rifle, had plagued him for a number of weeks. Although the apothecaries of the chapter could easily heal him, he preferred to leave it as a reminder of his folly and overconfidence during the battle. Many battle-brothers had died on that terrible day, although that was not the worry that troubled him now.

A chapter strike force had gone missing, taking with it a full company of experienced space marines, two regiments of Corbulo's PDF auxilia, two strike cruisers, and one of the chapter's only battle barges, not to mention untold crewmen and resources. Aurelius shook his head in frustration, attempting to think of a reason why the force had gone missing. Of all the times to lose a company of men, why now? The battles against the Tau had left the already thinly-stretched chapter severely undermanned, which was why the 3rd Company was scheduled to return to Corbulo. However, when the PDF cruiser sent to relieve them reported their absence, the council of Astartes became very worried.

All this, on top of the scheduled gene-seed tithe to the _Magos Biologica_, amounted to a severe headache for Andrew and his council. Although they might be able to delay the inevitable and unfortunate task of proclaiming the loss of the company, Aurelius knew that the force had little chance to return to their home, however badly they may be needed. Trying to focus on other things, he allowed his mind a rare moment to wander freely.

A minor psyker like a sizeable minority of Corbulo's population, the scope of Aurelius' powers were limited, with him being able to project his spirit across a hundred kilometres, and to predict events up to a minute before they happened. While this was useful on a battlefield, it was of absolutely no help off of one, save for relieving stress. Even as he stood still over the battlements, his spirit leapt from his body, soaring freely across the hab-blocks and manufactorums of Gnaeus City. He took in at a glance the sights of his mortal charges going about their daily lives, totally unaware of the events transpiring. Yet even as he did so, he felt a small nagging at the back of his mind.

Mentally sighing, Andrew withdrew his spirit as he turned his body about to face the approaching servitor. The cyborg's mechanical-human face still roused feelings of disgust in him, even after all these centuries. He drew upon his inner strength, dismissing such feelings even as he steeled himself to listen to the being's rambling voice.

"Chapter-Master Aurelius," it began. "You have been summoned by the Corbulo High Council, to come immediately and report on the _Axios_ situation."

Even though it had no will of its own, nor fault in being chosen as the messenger of ill tidings, Andrew struggled to refrain from striking it. His feelings of rage were not from the situation but from having to speak to the Council, a chore that he despised. While the original thinking behind the Council's formation was to restrain the near-unlimited power of the Adeptus Astartes, the present-day council was comprised of, in Aurelius' own humble opinion, coddled old men with delusions of grandeur and power. They abused their privileges, making and ruining lives at a whim. Nonetheless, he still had to face them, no matter his opinion. Momentarily checking his ceremonial armour for traces of dirt, he composed himself and mentally braced himself for the ordeal as he marched with parade-ground efficiency towards the High Council's chambers within the planet's _Parliamentum _building.

His heavy stride kicking up dust with every step, he reached the imposing gates of the _Parliamentum_ without the slightest hint of decorum or respect, radiating impatience and throttled rage. Ignoring the half-hearted protests of the guards, he threw open the gates with his superhuman strength, jolting them slightly from their hinges and making the guards wince. Andrew stomped in, his ceramite boots leaving minute fractures in the building's marble finish.

Passing a multitude of doors, Andrew barely broke stride as his iris-integrated HUD displayed the various functions of the rooms, some of them official, some of them…rather less so. Suppressing a grimace as he reluctantly approached the once-hallowed doors of the Council chambers, Aurelius took several deep breaths and quickly recited the litany of calming. While that did little to assuage his apprehension, nonetheless he visibly calmed, although a whirling tempest to rival the Eye of Terror raged inside of him, hidden from view.

A dozen heads whipped around in surprise as the polished bronzium-and-ceramite doors were thrown open, revealing the fearsome figure of an Astartes Chapter Master.

"Andrew Aurelius, Chapter Master of the 971st Blood Guardians Adeptus Astartes Chapter reporting, lords."

***Priority Vox Channel Primaris***

_This is a recorded vox-message. Mayday, mayday. This is the Imperial Battle Barge _Axios_. Requesting immediate assistance. Survivors aboard. Prioritisation code _Alpha-Alpha-Victoria-3-5-1-Ultima-Secura.

***Message Repeats***

Battle Barge _Axios_

Unknown Space

1 week after the Warp event

Brother-Captain Westwynter paced about the bridge of the _Axios_, attempting to figure out a way that his force could have emerged here, in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't helping that the unknown ships keeping station a few million klicks off the starboard side were not responding to the repeated hails that the fleet was sending out. The ship's navigator was going crazy, despite the repeated tranquilizers that the apothecaries were injecting him with. Even now, Lucian could hear the mutant's incoherent mumblings.

Lucian ignored the navigator, doing his best not to shudder as he continued to march about. _Left, right, left, right_…

"Astra…nomis…"

Lucian sighed mentally, then reversed course, walking towards the port side of the bridge, away from the strange craft.

"Astro…micon…vanish…"

The Astartes fiddled with his wrist-mounted HUD, attempting to turn up the cooling systems.

"Imperator…nomicon…AAAGGGHHH!"

Startled, Westwynter whipped around to pinpoint the source of the shriek. The navigator's eerie third eye was now open, and Lucian found himself transfixed by its gaze.

"Navigator…say that again." The navis noble shuddered as his natural eyes fluttered open, his mouth slowly opening as if deciding what to say. Lucian was about to turn away in disgust when a lonely pair of sentences wafted into the air, drifting in the bridge's still air as if possessed by a life of their own.

"The Emperor is gone. The Astronomicon has vanished!"

The Intergalactic Void

1 Week after the Warp Incident

"Warmaster Lah...Our agents within the alien galaxy have detected a strange hyperspace event. It had the echoes of a large fleet emerging from hyperspace…or a pair of worldships." A shadowy, bulky figure in spiked armour turned about, making the servant quake in the required fear.

"They have no ships nor fleets of that size, not in that area. This is most interesting…What was the time spent in hyperspace?"

"The signatures said two months, my lord."

"And it takes less than one to cross the galaxy…This is most disturbing news. Notify the leaders of the other domains! We must take action immediately!"

**A/N: Sorry for not posting…Exams and all that crap, plus I kinda zoned out for a bit, and next thing I know it's over a month since I last posted. Oops. And yes, I know that the Yuuzha—you need to wait until next chapter to learn the name (it's pretty obvious now)—don't have hyperspace, but just go with it, ok? Also, Hyperspace=Warp Travel without the storms (The SW galaxy is a much calmer place without the Eldar xenos.) And Jedi/Sith=VERY gifted psykers. So…I guess that's it. Enjoy! **

**Siberys: Why yes, I do agree that Thrawn is awesome. Thank you! :)**

**Muad'zin: Only time shall tell…**

**Blinded in a bolthole: Well…ramming always works. Remember the **_**Executor**_**? **

**Rafen of the blood: Always nice to meet a fellow Son of Sanguinius! For the Emperor and Sanguinius! Death! DEATH!**


	4. Chapter 4: First Contact

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, apart from OC's.**

Battle Barge _Axios_

Captain Westwynter holstered his plasma pistol, satisfied at the Techmarine's judgement. With the majority of the Barge's non-critical systems now operational, he could afford to resume weapons maintenance. However, he could not shake the feeling that there was something more to those dagger-shaped vessels than met the eye.

Shaking his head, he brushed off a stray speck of dust from his crimson-trimmed armour and turned to face his assembled sergeants and the company Chaplain.

"Gentlemen." Lucian lit up a tabac stick, a bad habit that he somehow could never give up.

"I have good news, and bad news. The bad news is that we have lost the Astronomicon. The stars around us are unfamiliar, even to the cogitators. The barge's machine spirit is confused as to its location, and the tech-priests maintaining it cannot say either. With luck, we are merely in the Halo stars, beyond the light of the Astronomicon, yet well within the borders of our galaxy. If my prediction is correct, however…the warp rift that we entered may have sent us to another galaxy."

Lucian let the group process that for a moment, waiting for a moment of silence from the inevitable murmuring before continuing.

"The good news is that we have detected several ships of unknown origin within close proximity of our fleet. While we cannot scan their interiors, nor have they hailed us as of yet, I am confident that they will be able to provide us with assistance. As we number but a hundred, we are as yet unable to ascertain whether or not we require said aid. Nonetheless, I wish to stress that we will attempt peaceful relations first and foremost, as the Imperium still requires our aid. The Emperor protects. Dismissed."

Still talking amongst themselves, the company's NCOs turned as one and walked off towards their respective stations, just as a priority vox message reached Lucian. Sighing, he stabbed at the receive button until it worked, silently hoping no tech-priest overheard him.

"Westwynter."

"Honoured Captain. The unknown ships have hailed us, albeit on a frequency that allows for visual communications as well as aural. Shall I transfer it to the bridge vidscreens?"

"Make it so, Bondsman-Captain. Westwynter out."

Once again checking over his armour for any traces of dust or damage, Lucian straightened his _Crux Terminatus_ and marched imperiously to the bridge.

*_Imperial thought for the day: Suffer not the Xenos to live. Nor the Heretic, nor the Mutant, nor the Traitor.*_

ISD _Subjugator_

Chiss Space

Unknown Regions

"Hailing the ships now Admiral. Orders?"

Thrawn's voice floated across the room, carrying a calm yet menacing aura with it that chilled Captain Fel to the bone.

"Put it on-screen, and answer it yourself. I shall observe from hiding, for now."

"As you will it, sir."

Staring nervously at the screen, Sydar did his best not to let his anxiety show. Although his profuse sweating had left his entire body damp, he hoped that the Navy-issue dark grey dress tunic left no stains showing. Waiting for a few moments, he was greeted with an image of a stylized eagle, along with some swearing in surprisingly good basic.

"EMPEROR DAMN IT TECHPRIEST, GET THIS FRAKKING SCREEN WORKING!"

Turning around in to look at his aide in surprise, he was welcomed with a shrug and turned back to the now-active screen. He carefully studied what he assumed to be his counterpart, noting the menacingly large pauldrons and visible armaments, hoping that the man's hands were not that big in real life.

"Greetings. I am Brother-Captain Lucian Westwynter of the 180th Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, Captain of the Blood Guardians 3rd Company, and the Sword of Corbulo. I speak on behalf of the Imperium of Man, and the God-Emperor, our undying lord."

Sydar nervously swallowed, feeling the Admiral's eyes drilling into his back before replying.

"I am Captain Sydar Fel, captain of the Imperial Star Destroyer _Subjugator_, detached from Vermillion Broadsword sector command. I represent the Emperor Palpatine, ruler of the New Order of the Galactic Empire. What do you require?"

The Brother-Captain waited a moment before responding, turning away to bark a sharp order at someone off-screen.

"What is this…Empire you speak of? Where within it are we?"

Fel swore under his breath, thinking of how to go about answering these questions when a voice drifted through the air, the mellow and rounded sounds typical of a Chiss. Sighing, Fel stood, saluted, then dismissed himself as the Admiral stepped up to the vacant seat.

"Apologies for the decoy and the theatrics, Brother-Captain, but I needed to ensure that my current location remained secret from my rivals. I am Grand Admiral Thrawn, commanding officer of the Vermillion Broadsword sector command, once again representing the Emperor of the Galaxy. In response to your question, you are within the Aur'elan sector, on the northeastern fringe of the Galaxy. Unfortunately, that most likely did not help at all, but you are welcome to make your own conclusions on the subject."

_*Imperial thought for the day: It is better to die for the Emperor than to live for yourself.*_

Lucian struggled to restrain himself as the human captain saluted to, _respected_, the Xenos commander. He, _IT_, was obviously in command, a sure sign of alien control. Shaking in barely-suppressed rage, Westwynter snapped his attention back to what the foul Xenos was saying.

"…commanding officer of the Vermillion Broadsword sector command, once again representing the Emperor of the Galaxy."

The sheer IMPUDENCE! That this…this…HERETIC dares assume that there is not one True Emperor! Seething in anger and holy rage, Lucian attempted to focus his smouldering gaze upon the alien commander.

"…the Aur'elan sector, on the northeastern fringe of the Galaxy. Unfortunately, that most likely did not help at all, but you are welcome to make your own conclusions on the subject. If you require assistance with your repairs, feel free to ask. We have a large spacedock in a nearby system. If you will only follow our ship…"

Wait. This idiotic Xenos was leading the Astartes flotilla to its _stronghold_? Well, this should be a fine time to test the battle-mettle of our regiments…

"I thank you generously for your offer, Grand Admiral. Our three ships would be glad to follow. Only point the way."

With that, Lucian terminated the vox-cast and strode from the bridge. There was training to be done…

**So there we have it! After around 2 months (oops), Faith and Fury has yet again been updated. My utmost apologies for the delay…heh. heh. **

** Cegorach: Er…creative liberties? Sigh. 1: You try facing the Tau in tabletop. If you're in their LOS for more than 3 seconds…Emperor have mercy on your soul. 2: System Defence Forces have ships, which are indeed warp-capable. 3: Yet the Blood Magpies are still there… 4: My bad. I don't read up on 40k that much, so my fault. Cuz Daemonic incursions hurt. 5: The Blood Guardians, being an OC chapter, were envisioned to be a more enlightened chapter. Think Reasonable Marines, but without the Xenos love and more Blood Angels RAGE. 6: I'm pretty sure navigators are in short supply. One for a ship, maybe two, is more than enough. And would you be scared if your lighthouse just vanished? 7: Once again, my bad. Inexcusable mistake. 8: Your point stands. But wouldn't that kinda kill the whole 'balance' issue? **

**Ugh. This story is not going to be very faithful to the fluff nor the canon. It would be interesting to watch the Imperium inflict filthy rape upon the SW galaxy, but over fairly quickly. Thus, the SM are nerfed while SW is buffed. Done.**

**Bronyhood of Steel: Sanguinius calls.**

**So there you have it! Yet another chapter of faith, fury, and the BLOOD GUARDIANS!**

**Expect another chapter up in about a week or so!**


	5. Chapter 5: Deep Strike

**A/N: Well…that was a rather long 'week'. Apologies, and [insert excuses here]. .**

=][= Imperial Thought for the Day: Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life. =][=

Strike Cruiser _Shield of Damocles_

Captain Lucius Seravius ducked beneath a humming power sword, gritting his teeth as he attempted to regain his footing. The metal deck beneath him was stained with blood and rust, marred with scratches and furrows and sullied with the boots of a thousand men. Around him and his opponent in a circle were his legionnaires, their lasguns at ease at their sides.

Feinting to the right, Lucius quickly did a shoulder roll to the left of his counterpart. He winced as the deck touched an especially tender bruise, but regained his balance and swung his blade around experimentally. The silver weapon hummed as it split the air, its monomolecular edge seemingly slicing apart the thick light coming from the half-dozen glow orbs hanging from the ceiling. His enemy grinned, prompting Lucius to chuckle a little before launching into a furious assault.

His sword dancing in the air, the two blades clashed time and time again. Lucius took a step forward, then another, forcing the man back and off balance. He struck high, catching himself just a second before impact and thrusting low. His off-kilter foe attempted to smack the point aside, his blade meeting only empty air as the Captain stepped into a slash. Once again trying to block the blow, the two swords crossed momentarily before Lucius hooked the guard of his adversary's saber and flicked upwards.

"Er…I do believe that is your point, my friend." Captain Johnathan Arasmus nervously eyed the blunted swordpoint that just grazed his neck. Lucius smiled for a moment before lowering his weapon and saluting gracefully.

"Aaannddd…match! Victory to Captain Seravius of Epsilon Company!"

The circle of guardsmen erupted into cheers, recorded vids of the sparring match most likely spreading throughout the regiment even as the two Captains bowed to each other.

"Well, that was entertaining. Despite the…situation, the men's morale seems to have improved greatly."

Lucius grunted in agreement, his lungs still attempting to mutiny after that duel. The two slowly walked over to the exit, grabbing their grey dress tunics off of a chair. Epsilon Company had already left, jogging over to the mess hall for celebratory drinks.

The majority of the two Corbulo regiments had by now heard of the Xenos empire that they had found themselves in, although the specifics of their situation was still mostly hidden from the men. Nonetheless, the prospects of a fight had raised the spirits of the troops, along with some awkward questions directed towards the command staff.

"Attention, attention, for the Emperor's voice speaks through many. We have entered the Warp, and although it is much calmer in this Galaxy, I urge you all to remain on your guard against daemons and servants of the Ruinous Powers. The Emperor Protects. Bondsman-Captain Cypress out."

_MEANWHILE_

ISD _Subjugator_

In Hyperspace transit to Imperial Fortress World FW-C3D (Designation Sentinel)

Grand Admiral Thrawn paced the bridge, murmuring the faintest of orders to his subordinates before turning his attention back to his datapad. The defenses of the 'spacedock', and it was in the vaguest of senses, were considered second only to Bastion, and was currently replenishing the remainder of Vermillion Broadsword's Bantha Squadron. A few dozen Star Destroyers, no matter how puny in comparison to this ship of the 'Imperium', ought to at least give Westwynter second thoughts, and with luck thirds.

"Fel! Tell me. How well trained are our Stormtroopers? Does this ship carry any AT-ATs and Juggernauts?" The captain bowed deeply before answering nervously, his profuse sweating as always visible even as took a deep breath.

"W-we have a full assault contingent of 20 AT-ATs onboard every ship within the command, Lord Admiral. A-a-as for Juggernauts, I do believe that the fleet's Super Star Destroyer has a complement of a h-h-hundred in reserve, along with the parts and maintenance crew required. The two 501st companies that have been assigned to us are the elite of the elite, although the 252nd Regiment stationed on Ko-ruvva is nonetheless capable of holding its own against _almost_ any enemy." Sydar stuttered, but managed to somehow put enough emphasis on the 'almost' that even Thrawn hesitated for a moment.

"That is…acceptable, Captain. I have a rather unfortunate feeling that we may be forced to implement rather…aggressive negotiations with these so-called Space Marines."

=][= Imperial Thought for the Day: Burn the Heretic. Kill the Mutant. Purge the Unclean. =][=

Battle Barge _Axios_

In Warp Transit to Imperial Drydock

The gilded bulk of the _Axios _ glided through the rather calm warp currents towards its destination, flanked by its Strike Cruiser escorts. Within was a frantic hive of activity, with guardsmen and Astartes alike practicing their skills for the upcoming invasion. The astropathic choir having given up trying to reach Corbulo, the psykers were instead training to handle lasguns without blowing their heads off. The navigator, however, was managing just as normal, despite the lack of signal from the Astronomicon back on Terra.

"There seems to be a large nexus of warp energy near the galactic centre, although it is too concentrated to be a warp storm. Nonetheless, I am able to use it as a beacon to triangulate our position in regards to our target, along with the fact that said destination seems to have a slightly weaker beacon of its own."

Lucian put his hands to his temples in an attempt to understand a word of what the Navis noble was saying, then gave up in disgust.

"Just get us there, navigator. Damn, I need a drink…"

_2 days later_…

Battle Barge _Axios_

In orbit around Imperial Drydock

Klaxons blared as heavily armoured boots thudded onto the plasteel floor, kicking up a small cloud of dust as they advanced. Westwynter ducked his head, barely scraping past a low-hanging pipe before immediately smacking his helm into another. Muttering curses, Lucian strode out of the corridor and into the drop pod bay. Removing his helmet, he slowly faced his assembled command.

"Third Companyyyyyyy….Fall in!"

A hundred and twenty boots lifted and fell in unison, causing the deck to tremble momentarily. A surprised servitor looked up, its blank face betraying nothing as it returned its attention to its duties. Westwynter struggled to contain his pride, and failed. He gazed upon the gleaming white and red-trimmed armour of his battle-brothers and was greeted by a storm of memories and the glory of past battles, drowning out his sorrow at being lost in an alien galaxy.

"Third Companyyyyy….Slope…Arms!"

A hundred bolters and a score of blades were shouldered, reflecting the glare of the Manufactorum-issued lights brightening the bay. Westwynter momentarily cleared his throat, then began.

"Friends, Battle-Brothers, sons of Corbulo all. We stand together here today in honour of the God-Emperor of Mankind. We stand here to prove to these heretics and Xenos that there is only one true Emperor, and that there is only one true Imperium of Mankind. The enemy has dared to defile this alien galaxy for untold millennia, filling it with Xenos filth, heretics, and mutants. Today we shall bring upon them the full fury of the Imperium. Today, we shall cleanse this alien and heretical scum from the face of the universe. Today, we fight for the Imperium. Today, we fight for Humanity!"

A company's worth of shouts erupted from the ranks, making Westwynter smile involuntarily.

"For the Emperor! Third Company! To your drop-pods...Dismissed!"

His men echoing his cry praising the Emperor, the Blood Guardians Third Company of Imperial Space Marines began marching off to their assigned pods, checking their weapons as they did so. Lucian waited a moment, then executed a crisp right turn before ensuring his power sword and plasma pistol were still there. He quickly marched to the Thunderhawk bay, where the Company's Apothecaries, Techmarines, and Dreadnoughts were carefully loading onto the gunships. Westwynter paused momentarily before walking to the Stormraven Gunships, a gift from the Blood Angels, where his own personal detachment of the Blood Guardians Sanguinary Guard awaited.

The Blood Guardians, being a little-known successor chapter to the famed Blood Angels of Baal, had retained its tradition of having an elite force within the chapter known as the Sanguinary Guard. Although the Blood Guardians unit shares the name, the Sanguinary Guard of the chapter eschewed the traditional Glaives Encarmine in favour of a pair of Thunder Claws, although they retained the golden armour and winged jump packs. However, where the Blood Angels used the guard as a unit unto its own, the Blood Guardians had a small detachment of them for each of its companies, excepting the Death Company.

Lucian strode up the Stormraven's ramp, securing his helmet and muttering a quick litany as he did so. The craft's dark grey exterior contrasted with the stark white interior, the better to conceal the occupants within during a night-time raid.

"This is the Bondsman-Captain speaking. The fleet will be exiting Warp Space in 3, 2, 1, exit. Calculating trajectories...Launch all drop pods. We shall meet again at the foot of the Golden Throne. The Emperor Protects."

The ship shuddered as the drop pods containing the Third Company launched towards the planet below, quickly followed by the dropships of the 351st Corbulo Guard regiment. The craft shook under Westwynter as the Thunderhawks and Stormravens were launched last, then the ride grew smoother as the gunship exited _Axios_' bowels and cruised through the void.

Lucian looked outside for a moment as the Space Marine ships commenced bombardment of enemy positions, lances targeting orbital guns and main batteries turning strongpoints and cities into molten slag. Belatedly, planetary guns began firing back, albeit ineffectively. Inattentive, Lucian failed to brace when the craft entered the planet's atmosphere, causing him to stumble and eliciting a round of laughter from the guard.

Cursing, Lucian unsheathed his sword and disengaged the safety on his plasma pistol, before firing up his jump pack and moving to the door.

"Landing in 3, 2, 1, go go go!"

The ship's lascannons and bolters began filling the air with light and lead as it descended, opening the ramp at the last second and disgorging a squad of shouting Astartes.

"Kill them all in the Emperor's name! Blood Guardians, attack!"

Lucian deflected a ruby-coloured bolt of energy with his blade, roaring before he unleashed the power of a miniature sun into the white-armoured body of an enemy 'stormtrooper'. Kicking up a cloud of dry dirt with every step, took in his surroundings in an instant. He was in a square in the suburbs of a burning city; the flames no doubt the result of the _Axios_' bombardment.

"This is Westwynter to all Blood Guardians forces. Spread out and consolidate your positions. Once a perimeter has been established, purge these heretics, in the Emperor's name. Westwynter out."

_**A/N: So there you have it! After quite a long wait (Insert flimsy excuses here), Faith and Fury has finally been updated! Also, as I am terribly unimaginative at coming up with characters, feel free to pm me with ideas for characters. Criteria include:**_

_**SW Imperial or 40k Imperial**_

_**Guard, Astartes, Stormtrooper, Navy**_

_**Personality**_

_**Minor anecdotes?**_

_**Appearance**_

_**Skill with weapons**_

_**Anything else I may have missed. **_

_**PRAISE THE EMPEROR AND STRIKE DOWN HIS FOES**_


	6. Chapter 6: Descent

Chapter 6-Descent

=][= Imperial Thought for the Day: My armour is contempt. My shield is disgust. My sword is hatred. In the Emperor's name, let none survive. =][=

FW G5B (Designation Warden)

Singer Aston, Imperial Civilian, lived a fairly normal life. He was born on Warden, went to Warden District 7HS, did a short stint in the Navy, went to Carida, and survived long enough to muster out. He had a wife, two children, and worked as a civil servant within the vast Imperial bureaucracy. In his spare time he went blaster shooting with his teenage son. His wife owned a restaurant catering to the garrison on Warden, and his daughter worked off-planet in the orbiting skyhooks.

Life, in Singer's opinion, was pretty fragging good. Sure, he lived on a fortress world that gazed into the unknown, but at least it was safer than living on, say, Coruscant or Tatooine. Having a dozen Star Destroyers orbiting certainly made him feel secure, not to mention the weekly parades of Stormtroopers.

Yet, for all that, Singer wanted nothing more than to get off Warden as fast as possible. Too bad he'll never have the chance…

_Holonet Warden News_

"This is a planet-wide alert. Unknown warships have appeared in orbit around warden. The Imperial navy is fighting hard against the enemy, however it has lost multiple star destroyers. As a result, all civilians are advised to proceed to the nearest emergency bunkers or attempt to evacuate Warden. Interdictor fields are down, evacuate immediately. This new foe is extremely dangerous and—Oh core, they're landing troops! Evacuate! Get us out of he—!"

The pretty announcer was cut off, literally, by a tall warrior encased in what appeared to be living armour. It wielded a long, snake-like staff that sprayed acid all over the announcer, dissolving her wretched corpse. The warrior spat on her body, then stared right into the camera with its eyes of burning, holy rage.

"YOUR DESTRUCTION IS THE WILL OF THE GODS, AND WE ARE THEIR INSTRUMENTS. YOU. SHALL. ALL. BURN."

*Signal lost.*

FW Sentinel

T+2 Hours

"Alpha squad, advance to 39th and 16th and hold the line."

"Alpha here, anything between 39th and 47th is gone. Requesting confirmation."

"Zero here. Stand by, Alpha."

"Alpha here. I can here them getting clo—BLAM! Man down! Man down! They're on the left! Contacts left! Contacts le—!"

"Alpha, please say again, over. Alpha?"

=][= **Perspective change, because fanfiction won't let me make a fancy border.** =][=

"Priority vox channel Tricero. Delta combat squad reporting. Advancing towards source of vox transmissions. Targets sighted. Aiming. Firing. Targets terminated. Enemy recon squad eliminated. Requesting orders."

"Priority vox channel Tricero. Corbulo 351st Epsilon Company reporting. Pinned down by enemy multilaser equivalent. 3 casualties. Requesting support, over."

"Priority vox channel Tricero. Delta here. Epsilon, stand by for support. Astartes incoming, clear the lanes."

=][= **Once again. **=][=

"Epsilon listen up. Astartes are coming in, so lets try and keep some fire off their backs!"

Captain Seravius ducked as the white-armoured heretics let off another long burst of lasfire. Lucius struggled to make himself heard over the whine of the enemy multilaser, wrinkling his nose at the smell of ozone and superheated flesh. The ragged company banner hung limply in the hands of its bearer, its surface pockmarked by stray lasblasts.

Lucis primed a blind grenade, judged the angle, and let loose. A grey shell soared through the air, passing over a wrecked aircar and landing next to the multilaser team. A flash, bang, and cloud of smoke later, and the hail of lasfire dropped down to a trickle. He followed up with a frag, the sheer concussive force and the superheated shrapnel eviscerating a brace of foes and adding to the general confusion.

"Priority vox channel Tricero. Delta here. Space Marines on the field."

Seravius clicked his combead in confirmation, then sheathed his power sword before ducking back into the crater he was occupying. Epsilon Company waited a dozen metres behind, nervously fingering their lasguns and making silent prayers. Cupping a hand to his mouth, he yelled back to his company.

"Astartes incoming! Get down!"

***Again. Sorry.***

TT-34024 slammed a new pack into his blaster, waiting for his helmet to de-polarize while taking stock of the situation. 23145 and 07392 both got taken out by the det that some bastard threw. Four more stopped bolts with their faces, a fifth one being decapitated by some strange sword when he went to scout ahead.

His visor depolarized just as the HUD status light for the man next to him winked out. He blinked for a moment before turning to see the body with half its torso blown off. A sickening crunch sounded off to his left, and he glanced over through the fog to see a ton of ceramite slamming into him.

"zzzt. Priority vox channel Tricero. Delta reporting. Heretics eliminated. Epsilon has been delivered. Advancing. The Emperor protects."

ISD _Subjugator_

In orbit around FW Sentinel

2 hours earlier.

"Admiral. The three…things have dropped out of hyperspace, a few hours later than expected, too. Hailing now."

The Chiss admiral smiled and snapped his fingers, deigning to face the ship's captain before speaking.

"Excellent. Have my orders been carried out? Of course they have. Bring us into the asteroid belt nearest to Sentinel and await further orders."

The captain nodded and barked out a few orders to his crew, then returned to his position in the XO's usual station and studied his instruments. The captain's uniform was sweat-stained as usual, noted Thrawn with disgust, although his efficiency and effectiveness in command outweighed the cons. The remainder of the crew worked with their usual briskness, something that gained them the Admiral's approval.

A gasp from the captain drew Thrawn's attention back from his visual inspection, his glowing red eyes widening even further as he took in the sight.

"Admiral! The ships have launched an orbital bombardment of the planet! Dropships have been launched. Oh, core, the planetary shields are down! Destroyers moving to engage…_Insurmountable _and _Predator_ are gone! Stang! Three destroyers just got rammed!"

The sunlit side of Sentinel burst into even more light, the scattering of lasers and kinetic munitions creating a light show in-atmosphere. For a few moments it seemed as though a city-sized aurora had occurred, as yet another Star Destroyer was overwhelmed by fire and disintegrated.

"…Not as planned…" Thrawn said weakly, prompting looks of disbelief from some of the bridge crew.

"…Signal to the fleet's survivors to withdraw to the other side of the world. Our ships are unable to withstand firepower of such magnitude."

The mauled remnants of Vermillion Broadsword Command, Sentinel Detachment drifted slowly around the fortress planet, stray turbolaser beams lancing away to their rear. _Shockheart_, its shields disabled, threw itself into the path of a torpedo headed towards its sister ship _Havoc_. The missiled passed straight through both destroyers before detonating next to the _Vanguard_, gutting two valuable ships and draining the shields of the third. A beam of energy cut through the wreckage of the destroyers, silencing the _Vanguard_ for eternity.

Thrawn looked on as Sentinel burned, its wardens massacred and the gates thrown off their hinges. All that was left to the Empire here was the moon and the surviving orbitals, although those were next to die. Surrounded by the void, the Chiss admiral smiled a knowing smile as Death Squadron dropped out of hyperspace behind his ship.

**A/N: Well, it's been a long four week absence, but yet again Faith and Fury has an update! Thank you for all the character profiles, they shall be used in a forthcoming update! Fear not, for those who want more Astartes action, for you shall get some! Until next time, AVE DEUS SANGUINIUS! AVE MORTIS!**


End file.
